System of ventilation.



A. KNAPEN.

SYSTEM OF VENTILATION.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 12. 1912.

1,151,692. Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Wiizeuses; Maid I COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH co WAsulNqrbN, o c,

A. KNAPEN.

SYSTEM OF VENTILATION.

APPLiCATION men OCT. 12. 1912.

l 1 5 1 ,69%. Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHXNGTON, D. c.

ACI-IILLE KNAPEN, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

SYSTEM OF VENTILATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

Application filed October 12, 1912. Serial No. 725,427.

To all whom it may concern the year or every day or during parts of the day. The invention is also applicable with advantage to the ventilation of assembly rooms, dormitories, railway vehicles, motor cars, cabins, cattle-wagons and generally speaking of all premises in which the well known inconveniences of insufficient ventilation are frequently encountered.

As is well known the ventilation of unoccupied premises or buildings presents special difliculties. As a rule when certain premises are unoccupied the doors and windows are carefully shut, and the air inclosed in those premises and in the whole building remains confined therein. In a short time this air becomes foul and gives rise to fermentation, decomposition, moldiness, etc., and is a cause of great danger not only to the preservation of materials, furniture, etc., but also to the health of the persons who resume the occupation of the said premises.

.One object of my invention is to do away with the confining of the air in the premises and to effect, without necessitating the use of the force draft system, an automatic ventilation in a permanent manner, even when the doors and windows are shut, of all the premises indiscriminately whether they are unoccupied or occupied and in the latter case, without inconvenience to the occupants or to the objects therein, that is to say, without producing injurious currents of air while preserving the'interior from ram, snow and the inclemencies of the weather.

A further object of my invention is to produce a permanent disturbanceof equilibrium of the air layers in the various apartments of a building to be ventilated and consequently to cause the total volume of the air inclosed in the apartments to share act upon said I systems of apertures 1 and 2 being in the ventilation without producing any injurious current of air.

In order to enable my invention to be clearly understood two forms of my inventlon will be described hereinafter in detail as well as suitable means for carrying out the same. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 1s a diagrammatic illustration of the application of the system to apartments situated on one floor. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a cross section and a longitudinal section of a railway vehicle provided with the system of ventilation of my invention.

The system of ventilation forming the subject matter of my invention is based on the production of currents of air having substantially a horizontal direction and re: sulting from the diflerence of tension of the air which is in contact with the different faces of a building that is to say which are situated or arranged with di ferent aspects. It has been observed that, whatever may be the orientation of a building, the layer of air which is in contact with one face, is of a difi'erent density than the layer of air'which is in contact with the opposite face of the building as there exists a difierence of temperature between the opposite faces of the building according to the position of the sun which is true no matter what may be the atmospheric conditions. If suitable, apertures are provided in the several walls, doors or partitions inside the building a slow current of air will take place from one face to the other of the building. It has been further observed that it is possible to current of air having substantially a horizontal direction and to produce a permanent disturbance of equilibrium of the air layers confined in the various premises comprised between the different faces of abuilding by suitably locating the apertures in the several walls and partitions at different heights and further by giving to said apertures, according to their location, a permanent difference of cross sectional areas, independently of the variation of said cross sectional areas which can be secured within certain limits by aid of usual controlling means.

Referring to Fig. 1, the improved system is based on the cooperation of three systems of air inlets or apertures 1-2 and 3. the arranged in two difierent faces of the building and the system of apertures 3 being arranged in the walls, partitions or doors. situated between the faces of the building. The air inlets 1 are located beneath the ceiling. 41 of the apartment to be ventilated. The air in lets 2 are provided, beneath the. window ledges 5 or at a height varying between 0.60 and meters. The air inlets 3' are arranged; in the doors or in the plinths and door frames, or in the partitions or walls, and, as is shown diagrammatically, the cross sec tional areas of these apertures are different at the upper and lower parts. In the example shown, the system is assumed to be appliedto the ventilation of two apartments 6 and 7 separated from each other by a pas sage8' into which open doors 9 and '10. In this. example which may serve as a basis for the demonstration of the working ofthe system the cross sectional area of the apertures in the doors 9 and 1:0 alternates, that is to say, the door 9 has for instance apertures 3 having a cross sectional area which is greater in the lower part of the door than. in the upper part, while the door 10 on the contrary has apertures 3- whose cross sectional area is greater at the upper part. The cross section-a1 area of-the lower aperturescorresponds for instance to the cross sectional area of the apertures 3 formed inthe upper part of the door 9. Under these circumstances the coiiperation of these three systems of apertures 1, 2 and 3' of different cross sectional areas suitably adjusted, and

located at different heights, produces a con stant' disturbance in the equilibrium of the air layers in the several apartments 6, 7' and 8. Slight currents which are absolutely imperceptible, are produced in several directions and the effect of the disturbance of equilibrium will'be felt right throughto' the very middle of the body of air and every small corner of the apartments, the total body of air being-set constantlyin motion without'however forming any direct'air currents-having an injurious effect.

The alternatingdifferential sections of the apertures 3 formed in thfGClOOlS or in the plinths anddoor frames or between the adjacent apartments" onthe same fioorhave an effect which-is particularly importantin carrying out the system owing to the fact that by means of'these apertures the air inlets or apertures of difierent aspects are made to cooperate for the ventilation of the entire building-and that'by varying and distributing in a suitable manner the crosssectional areas ofthe passages or apertures these are caused to influence the disturbed equilibrium of the air layers in such a manner as to produce the said disturbed equilibrium inz-a constant. manner and in each particular case according to absolutely determined rules and prevent the stagnation of the air at any point in the apartments.

The construction of the air inlets can obviously be of. any desired kind; they may be provided with movable closures on one or both sides; of a wall and those in the outer walls may have metal screening to prevent the entry of insects; they may be provided with covers of asbestos or mineral wool for the purpose of preventing the entry of dust and they may be impregnated with aromatic substances such as Norwegian tar or an antiseptic liquidsuch as formol, etc.

The air inlets in the outer walls of a structure preferably slope downwardly fromthe inside toward the outside. v

This slope has not only the advantage of promoting in certain cases the production of two opposite currents through one the sameaperture and of regulating the entry and exit of the air-according to the differences of pressure or tension between theexterior and'the. interior, but also of preventingrain or snow falling at an angle; of l5 from. striking directly into-the apertureand penetrating into 1 the apartment.

The above described system. is an; important improvement on existingmethods: of ventilation. It insures a constant automatic circulation of the air and. consequently renders impossible in occupied apartments.

the occurrence of accidents by suffocation which. so frequently, result; from; the. viti ation of the air, leakages of gas, generation ofcarbonic acid, etc.

The same system is applicable to the ventilation of railway-vehicles, cabins and other promises .in which the Systems. hitherto used do not Secure the displacement; of the vitiated air without creatingsuddenpurrents of air which generally compeltoput thasystems. out, ofaction. In; this case the above systems of apertures .may-be used advantageously alone or in addition to the usualgsystem of ventilation'so as to cause a perma-v nentdistu-rba-nce ofthe equilibrium of the; air. layers in the several compartments, cabins, etc., by means of the difference oftension ofthe air incontact; withthe-opposite faces of the vehicle and of the, air-inside the vehicle, v

Figs-2 and 3-show, as an example, one applicationof the. systemto a railway. vehicle. As shown. in Eig. 2 the three; systems of apertures 1 2' .3- above described are provi-ded thjeside-walls of the vehicle and in.

remain open. The purpose of said supplemental apertures is to reinforce the disturbance of equilibrium of the air layers in the passage of the vehicle, and to supplement the action of the slow currents of air taking place from one side wall of the vehicle to the other through the three systems of apertures 1--23 acting as above described with reference to Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an automatic system of ventilation the combination of air inlet apertures arranged with difi'erent aspects in the faces of the structure which is to be ventilated with apertures provided in the partitions, doors or walls situated between the faces of the structure, said latter apertures being located at different heights and presenting alternating differences of cross sectional areas whereby the currents of air taking place in a substantially horizontal direction are deflected so as to produce a permanent disturbance of equilibrium of the air layers confined between the faces of the structure.

2. In an automatic system of ventilation the combination of a first system of air inlets located beneath the ceiling of the premises to be ventilated, and of a second system of air inlets located beneath the window ledges with a third system of apertures provided in the doors, partitions and Walls inside the structure to be ventilated, at a height difierent relatively to the two first systems of air inlets, said apertures having different cross sectional areas at the upper and lower parts and alternating from one Wall, partition or door to the following.

3. A system of ventilation for a structure having intermediate partitions comprising air apertures in each of two faces of the structure to be ventilated which faces have different aspects, one of said apertures being located adjacent the ceiling and the other adjacent the floor of the faces of the structure, two air apertures of different crosssectional areas in each of the intermediate partitions, the respective apertures in the several partitions being of equal cross-sectional area and disposed alternately in adjacent partitions whereby the currents of air taking place in a straight path through the structure are partially deflected so as to produce a disturbance of the equilibrium of the air layers confined between the faces of the structure.

In testimony whereof I have afliXed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ACHILLE KNAPEN.

Witnesses:

CHAs. ROY NAsMI'rH, GEORGE BEDE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ZEatents, Washington, D. G. 

